Not much has gone right for Javon Kinlaw since the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Following an underwhelming rookie campaign, Kinlaw has missed 24-of-34 games over the past two seasons after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in 2021 and suffering a setback in his recovery in 2022. Now entering the final year of his rookie deal after San Francisco declined his fifth-year option, Kinlaw knows it’s now or never in a 49ers uniform.
“The world gonna see, point blank, period,” Kinlaw said Friday, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com.
In 24 games (22 starts), Kinlaw has recorded 45 tackles (18 solo), three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In his final two seasons at South Carolina, he had 15 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks. Confident that his knee injuries are behind him, Kinlaw expects to have a breakout campaign in 2023.
“I work at it every day,” Kinlaw said. “When you work at something every day, you get superior confidence over it. It’s all mind over matter, and right now, I’m in a great mental space. And nothing’s going to stop my knee because I work at it every single day. It’s a must. I don’t go a day without working on it.”
Javon Kinlaw facing make or break season in 2023
Though he ultimately must prove it on the field, Kinlaw has earned praise from the 49ers’ coaching staff for his performance through OTAs and training camp.
“Kinlaw’s been unbelievable,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said last month, via Sports Illustrated. “Just in the fact that, I mean, you guys see how he looks, and he’s just gone a full year with no setbacks. And so to get through OTAs with that and then our 40 days away, it continued. And as that happens he just keeps looking better and better and everyone knows the specimen that he is, so now hopefully that can continue through training camp so he can really tie that to football.
“If he can do that and stay healthy, with the way he’s worked and the way his talent is and his mindset, I feel it’s a matter of time for him.”
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